Skewback and tile for open hearth furnaces



May 23, 1950 I w. ANTILL 2,509,029

SKEWBACK AND TILE FOR OPEN FURNACES Filed D60. 13, I 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 w W I: INEENTW May 23, 1950 P. w. ANTILL V SKEWBACK AND TILE FOR OPEN HEARTH FURNACES Filed Dec. 13, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y Patented m za, 1950 V UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

Philip Washington Antill, Ridgefleld Park, N. J., assignor to American Arch Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 13, 1944, Serial No. 567,977 a 7 Claims. (01. 110-99) My invention relates to improvements in furnace structure, such as open hearth furnaces. More particularly, my invention relates to an improved arrangement and shape of so-called skewback tile for supporting the lower ends of the arch comprising the roof of the end sections of an open hearth furnace where the cross-sectional area of the furnace is reduced in order to provide a roughly funnel-shaped passage.

In these sections of the furnace the floor slopes upwardly towards the ends and the roof arch becomes of less radius. The skewback tile, which supports the lower ends of the arch, are carried by steel framework, known as skewbacks. These skewbacks are usually in the form of channel members, one on each side of the furnace. The skewbacks are both inclined to the vertical at approximately the same angle as the sloping furnace floor and also converge laterally towards the end of the furnace. If tile having flat back and bottom faces were employed, the inner faces of the file which support the lower ends of the arch would obviously be angularly disposed with respect to the center line of the furnace and with respect to the horizontal in the same manner as the skewbacks. However, the surfaces of the skewback tiles which support the arch must not be angularly disposed in this manner, but should be so arranged that if their supporting surfaces were extended, they would intersect along a horizontal line. In the past, this relationship has been accomplished by forming the rear and bottom faces of the tile at proper angles. However, the angles of these faces for the tile to 'be used on one side of the furnace must be opposite to the angles on the tile for use on the other side of the furnace, thus necessitating two different shapes.

In accordance with my invention I provide a tile so shaped that it may be used interchangeably on either side, thus reducing the number of different shapes necessary for the initial erection of a furnace, and also reducing the number of spare tile which must be kept on hand in order to effect repairs. Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and of which: 5,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an improved skewback tile in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view showing skewback on opposite sides of an open hearth furnace together with my improved tile supported thereby;

Fig. 3 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 38 in Fig. 2;

line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a. cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, reference character l0 designates a skewback located on one side of an open hearth furnace, while reference character l2 designates a similar skewback located on the other side of the furnace. As will be seen from Fig. 2, these skewbacks converge laterally towards the left-hand end of the furnace, while from Figs. 3 and 4 it will be seen that the skewbacks are inclined with respect to the horizontal. While from Figs. 3 and 4 it might appear at first glance that the skewbacks I0 and I2 are inclined in opposite directions from the horizontal, this is because these two figures are viewed in opposite directions from Fig. 2. Actually the inclinations to the horizontal of both skewbacksare the same.

The skewbacks l0 and I2 are in the form of channel members having a. web l4 and upper and lower flanges l6 and [8, respectively. These channels are supported by additional steel framework in a manner well known and hence not illustrated.

Reference character 20 designates generally a skewback tile which may be supported by either of the skewbacks l0 or l2. This tile is formed with an upper face 22, the configuration of which is immaterial, and is shown as flat. The tile also has an inner inclined face 24 which is the bearing face for supporting the lower end of the arch which forms the roof of the furnace. The rear face of the tile is formed by two inclined plane surfaces 26 and 28 which intersect along approximately the vertical center line 30, of the rear face. The angle of inclination of these plane surfaces with respect to a vertical plane normal to the side surfaces 32 of the tile is substantially equal to'one-half of the angle between the converging skewbacks l0 and I2, or in other words is substantially equal to the angle between either skewback and the center line of the furnace. When the skewback tile is received in the skewback ill the inclined surface 26 bears against the web i4 and consequently the inner face of each tile is parallel to the center line. On the other hand, when the tile is supported by the skewback I2,. it is turned with respect to its position when supported by the skewback I0, and consequently the inclined plane surface 28 bears against the web of the skewback and hence the inner surface of the tfle is parallel to the center line of the furnace.

The bottom face of each tile is likewise formed by two in lined plane surfaces 34 and 36 which intersect along the approximately horizontal center line 31 ofthe tile. The angle of inclination of the bottom plane surface with respect .to a

horizontal plane is equal to the angle of inclination of the skewbacks with respect to the horizontal. When a tile is placed in skewback Hi the inclined surface 36 of the bottom of the tile bears against the lower flange l8, as is shown in Fig. 3. On the other hand, when the tile is supported in the skewback !2, it must be turned 180 as above described, and the inclined surface 34 of the bottom face bears against the lower flange of the skewback, as is shown in Fig. 4. Consequently, the upper face 22 of each tile is in a horizontal plane, regardless of whether the tile is supported in one or the other skewbacks. As will be seen from Fig. 1 the preferred form of tile is symmetric with respect to a central median plane passing through the line of intersection 3O and 31.

As above stated, the inner faces 24 of the tile support the lower ends of the roof arch. Thus, the skewback tile shown on the right-hand end of Fig. 2 support a section of an arch having a radius which is greater than the section supported by the next pair of skewback tiles to the left. In this manner, each section of the arch, progressing from the right toward the left in Fig. 2, is of a shorter radius than the section preceding it, due to the fact that the skewbacks and the skewback tile supported thereby rise and converge laterally toward the left-hand end of the furnace. The skewback tile are retained in position in the skewbacks due to the weight of the arch sections supported thereby.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the skewback tile for use on opposite sides of the furnace are identical and hence interchangeable. Heretofore, it has been necessary to provide either two different sets of tiles, one with their rear and bottom faces inclined in one direction and the other set with their faces inclined in the opposite direction, or to supply all of the tile with square back and bottom faces, in which event it is necessary for the masons to cut each back and bottom face. to the proper angle as the furnace is erected. The present invention makes either of these expedients unnecessary and permits the same shape to be used on either side of the furnace.

While I have shown and described one more or less specific embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this has been done for purposes-of illustration only and the scope of my invention is to be determined from the appended claims.

What is claimed:

I. In an open hearth furnace, a pair of opposed elongated converging skewbacks having inner longitudinally extendin surfaces directed towards each other, skewback tiles supported by said skewbacks, each tile having a rear face contacting the inner surface of one of the skewbacks and formed by two inclined plane surfaces intersecting approximately along the vertical center line of said face, the inclination of said surfaces with respect to a vertical plane normal to the sides of said tile being equal to substantially one-half the angle between said converging skewbacks, whereby any tile may be supported by eitiher of said skewbacks with one or the other of said inclined surfaces in contact with and parallel to the inner surface of the skewback.

2. In an open hearth furnace, apair of opposed elongated skewbacks similarly inclined at substantially the same angle with respect to the horizontal, each skewback having a longitudinally extending upwardly directed surface, skewback tiles supported by said skewbacks, each tile having a bottom face contacting said surface of one of the skewbacks and formed by two inclined plane surfaces intersecting approximately along the horizontal center line of said face, the inclination of said surfaces with respect to a horizontal plane being substantially equal to the inclination of said skewbacks with respect to the horizontal, whereby any tile may be supported by either of said skewbacks with one or the other of said inclined surfaces in contact with and parallel to said upwardly directed surface of the skewback.

3. In an open hearth furnace, a pair of opposed elongated converging skewbacks similarly inclined at substantially the same angle with respect tothe horizontal, said skewbacks having inner surfaces directed towards each other and each skewback having an upwardly directed surface, skewback tiles supported by said skewbacks, each tile having a rear face contacting the inner surface of one of said skewbacks and formed by two inclined plane surfaces intersecting approximately along the vertical center line of said face, the inclination of said surfaces with respect to a vertical plane normal to the sides of said tile being substantially equal to one-half the angle between said converging skewbacks, and each tile having a bottom face contacting the upwardly directed surface of one of the skewbacks and formed by two inclined plane surfaces intersecting approximately along the horizontal center line of said bottom surface, the inclination of the lastmentioned surfaces with respect to a horizontal plane being substantially equal to the inclination of said skewbacks with respect to the horizontal, whereby any tile may be supported by either of said skewbacks with one or the other of said inclined rear surface in contact with and parallel to the inner surface of the skewback and with one or the other of said inclined bottom surfaces Y in contact with and parallel to the upwardly directed surface of the skewback.

4. In a furnace, the combination with a pair of opposed laterally converging skewbacks, of a skewback tile supported by one of said skewbacks, said tile having a bottom face and side and rear. faces extending upwardly from said bottom face, said rear face being formed bytwo inclined plane surfaces intersecting approximately along the vertical center line of said face, the inclination of said surfaces with respect to a vertical-plane normal to the sides of said tile being equal to substantially one-half the angle between'the converging skewbacks and said tile having a bearing face on the side thereof opposite said rear face,

7 horizontal and said tile having a bearing face on a side thereof which is intersected by both said tile having a generally horizontally extendingbottom face and side-and rear faces extending upwardly from said bottom face, said rear face being formed by two inclined plane surfaces intersecting approximately along the vertical center line of said face, the inclination of said surfaces with respect to a vertical plane normal to the sides of said tile being substantially equal to onehalf the angle between said converging skewbacks, and each tile having a bottom face formed by two inclined plane surfaces intersecting approximatelyalong the horizontal center line of said bottom face, the inclination of the last-mentioned surfaces with respect to a horizontal plane being substantially equal to the inclination of said the median plane to the respective sides of the 7. A skewback tile for furnaces having substantially parallel side faces, a bottom face, a rear face and a. bearing face, said tile, being symmetrical with respect to a central median lane parallel to said side faces, said bottom face comprising two surfaces intersecting along said median plane and similarly upwardly inclined in the directions from tile, said rear face comprising two surfaces interskcwbacks with respect to the horizontal and said 25 tile having a bearing face on the side thereof opposite said rear face, said bearing face being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from adjacent said bottom face towards said rear face for supporting the end of an arch.

secting along said median plane and similarly forwardlyinclined in the directions from the median plane to the respective sides of the tile and said bearing face being at right angles with respect to said side faces and inclining towards said rear face in the direction away from said bottom face.

PHILIP WASHINGTON AN'I'ILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS in the 

